Thousands of pupils across Staffordshire and South Cheshire are celebrating their GCSE results today despite concerns over sitting tougher exams.

The vast majority of GCSE subjects have now switched to the new system, with teenagers having to learn lots more facts and most coursework being scrapped in favour of everything riding on exams at the end of two years of study. The old A* to G grades have also been swept away and replaced with a 9 to 1 grading scale.

The national picture shows results have improved this year, although direct comparisons are difficult due to the exam reforms.

Overall, 20.5 per cent of GCSEs have been achieved at grade 7 or above – the equivalent of the old A and A* grades. This marks a 0.5 percentage point increase on last year.

Around four per cent of GCSE entries have been awarded the new super-grade 9. It has proved far more elusive as it’s aimed at recognising exceptional candidates. Nationally, just 732 young people taking at least seven new GCSEs scored a clean sweep of 9s.

There has also been a 0.5. per cent increase in the proportion of entries receiving a grade 4 or above, which is equivalent to the old C grade. In all, 66.9 per cent of GCSEs reached this standard.

But the overall pass rate, classed as a grade 1 or above, has dipped by 0.1 per cent and is now 98.3 per cent.

Yet there are still plenty of success stories across the region.

In the independent sector, some schools have entered their students for a mixture of new GCSEs and international GCSEs – known as IGCSEs, which are graded on the A* to G scale.

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At Newcastle-under-Lyme School , 62.2 per cent of students’ GCSEs have been achieved at the 9 to 7 range or equivalent. And just shy of 30 per cent of the grades are 9s.

Meanwhile, Stafford Grammar School saw 55 per cent of all students’ GCSEs awarded the equivalent of grade 7 or above.

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In the state sector, 32 per cent of the grades at St Joseph’s College, in Trent Vale , have been achieved at the 9 to 7 range today. In all, 92 per cent of the students have got strong passes in both maths and English.

Headteacher Melissa Roberts said the brand new GCSEs have posed a challenge, particularly as schools had no past papers to guide pupils. But she added: “The argument is they have been better preparation for A-levels. We’ve focused on good old-fashioned revision and teaching standards.”

Other school leaders have raised concerns about the demands placed on young people, who’ve had to cope with the frenetic pace of curriculum change.

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Steve Bell, principal of Painsley Catholic College, in Cheadle , said: “They are comparing subjects and grades that are completely different. The exam boards have given us very little information about what to expect with regards to standards for each grade. It’s put more pressure on staff and students.”

Overall, 85 per cent of Painsley’s GCSE pupils achieved passes at grade 4 or above in both maths and English – and 62 per cent gained grade 5 or higher.

Julia Haras, aged 16, has achieved top grades in her GCSEs at Birches Head Academy

Julia Haras, who took 10 GCSEs, is one of a growing number of pupils at Birches Head Academy to achieve top grades. The 16-year-old, who lives in Hanley , said: “The exams have definitely got tougher. It’s a good idea in principle, but not if it’s introduced too fast.

“In history, we were told in Year 10 that we would only have to cover two eras for the exams. But we had to do more in the actual GCSE.”

Julia moved to Britain from her native Poland when she was six years old and has learnt English from scratch.

“With the help of my friends, teachers and family, my language skills steadily got better. Watching films and British TV has also helped. When I got to Birches Head, my fluency improved dramatically and I am really grateful to all the teachers who have stuck with me and supported me.”

Thousands of students are celebrating their GCSE results today

Amy Wang also had to contend with studying English as a second language as she was born in China. She took 10 GCSEs at Thistley Hough Academy, in Penkhull , and achieved high grades today.

The 16-year-old, who lives in Penkhull, has now set her sights on a career in medicine. “I remember when I was little, I kept on getting tonsillitis,” she added. “But I went to my GP, who helped me. Now I’d like to help someone else by becoming a doctor.”

Across the city, some schools are toasting big improvements.

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At The Excel Academy, in Sneyd Green , the proportion of pupils achieving standard grade 4 passes in both English and maths has shot up by 10 per cent in a year. Seven out of 10 students reached this benchmark today. Principal Darren Bishop said: “We have achieved our best GCSE maths results ever. At grade 4, we have achieved 78 per cent – compared to 63 per cent last year – and at grade 5, we have achieved 54 per cent.”

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At The Discovery Academy, in Bentilee , one student has notched up four grade 9s across maths and the sciences. There have also been 17 grade 9s in maths, English and other subjects that count towards the English Baccalaureate.

At Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy, in Blurton , results have risen in many subjects this year. Altogether, 61 per cent of pupils gained grade 4 or above in both maths and English – and 39 per cent achieved grade 5 or above. Principal Mark Stanyer said: “The school is going from strength to strength and the children have done really well. We are really proud of them.”

The new grades

The first GCSEs to be reformed were taken last summer in English language, English literature and maths. Now the vast majority of subjects have switched to the new system.

The courses involve more challenging content and most are assessed purely on exams. The old A* to G grades have also been replaced with a 9 to 1 grading scale.

Designed to match standards in the world’s strongest-performing countries, they are supposed to help distinguish between the highest performing pupils. The super-grade 9 is only awarded to the very top students.

Although new and old GCSEs don’t directly compare, there are three points where they align:

A grade 7 is roughly equivalent to an A;

A grade 4 is equivalent to a low C;

A grade 1 is equivalent to a G.

Grade 4 is classed as a ‘standard pass’ and 5 is a ‘strong pass’.

Liana Snape was celebrating achieving five grade 8s and three grade 9s today, along with a distinction*. She studied at Ormiston Horizon Academy in Chell.

She has now become an ‘OAT scholar’ – winning a top national scholarship through the academy trust to study at Oundle School, an independent boarding school in Northamptonshire.

The 15-year-old, from Chell , said: “It’s where Richard Dawkins went to school. I’m quite nervous because I’ve never done anything like this before.

“As I will have school at weekends as well, I can’t come home every weekend. But it’s exciting.”

Liana Snape has been offered a scholarship to study at Oundle School

Her dream is to pursue a career in historical research. “History is what I most enjoyed doing for GCSE. It’s fascinating to find out what really happened in the past,” she added.

Across the Newcastle district, there have also been many happy faces today.

At Madeley School, 74 per cent of students have achieved standard passes in both maths and English, with 50 per cent getting strong passes in these subjects.

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St John Fisher Catholic College, in Newcastle, saw 80 per cent reach grade 4 or above in English and 70 per cent achieve this level in maths.

Headteacher Theresa Madden said: “These amazing results are indicative of the hard work, dedication and commitment of our students and staff.”

In Leek , Westwood College saw 62 per cent of pupils clinch grade 4 or above in both English and maths.

There have also been strong results across many other subjects, including languages, history, geography and science.

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But nationally, there have been major concerns about the new GCSE double science awards. Ofqual revealed this week it has stepped in to ensure pupils ‘inappropriately’ entered for the higher tier paper have not flunked their entire science courses. It’s meant lowering the pass rate on the paper to a grade 3.

Among those bucking the trend in science is Alsager School 5, where results in the separate sciences were especially strong. There have also been impressive results across a wide range of subjects there, including PE, art and French.

Altogether, 82 per cent of Alsager’s GCSE pupils gained grade 4 or above in English and maths, with 65 per cent getting strong passes.